Happy Fall!

With the arrival of fall, another growing and gardening season has drawn to a close.  I have a few calendulas (second from top picture) and bachelor buttons that I haven't had the heart to pull yet, but everything else has gone into quiet mode.  
For the first time this spring, I started annual plants indoors.  The plants that were the happiest included:  cosmos, bachelor buttons, zinnias (top picture), calendula, and marigolds.  It took a bit of extra work initially, but it was exciting to watch these plants go from a seed to a beautiful flower and I will start all these plants again from seed next year!

All of my tomato plants were also started from seed this year and I had another bumper tomato crop!  I have made some delicious tomato sauce to carry through the winter.

With the arrival of fall, I have made a few batches of the Yummy Fall Granola (recipe is found on this blog post from 2010:  http://nurture-your-health.blogspot.ca/2010/10/yummy-fall-granola.html).  It is so yummy and fortifying!

Even though the weather has been so beautiful, I have also made a few batches of warming stews including a variation of the Winter Yam Stew (recipe is found on this blog post from 2010:  http://nurture-your-health.blogspot.ca/2010/01/winter-yam-stew.html).  It is perfect for the crisp fall evenings!

I recently discovered a wonderful new cookbook called The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner.  It contains healthy, delicious, and simple recipes for many of the basic items I would normally buy.  I have made the Mountain Bar recipe several times - I find these bars a perfect blood sugar balancing snack and I haven't had to buy many store bought bars over the past few months as a result.

I had a chance to drive through beautiful Meadow Lake Provincial Park in Saskatchewan in late September and was greeted by some lovely rose hips (second from bottom picture) and some beautiful goldenrod that had gone to seed (bottom picture).  It was a wonderful fall drive!

The Boreal Herbal Workshop

I recently attended a weekend workshop presented by Beverley Gray, author of The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North.  Beverley shared with us her incredible love and knowledge of plants and it was a wonderful and inspiring weekend of learning!  Some of the fascinating information Beverley shared with us included:
- Trees share with us energy that help us to expand and they help to open our lung capacity
- Dandelion is one of the most intelligent plants - we can use all parts and it offers in depth nutritional and cleansing support as well third chakra balancing support
- Rose hips (top picture) offer a rich source of vitamin C and iron and can be dried and made into a tea
- Horsetail (middle picture) is rich in silica and offers root chakra balancing support
- Yarrow leaves when rubbed on the skin act as an excellent insect repellent
- Plantain (bottom picture) offers excellent healing support for skin concerns, including bug bites and rashes

Blueberries and Blood Pressure

In the July 2015 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal, author Jacob Schor discusses a trial involving blueberry powder consumption and blood pressure. The trial was originally published in the January 2015 epublication of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The trial involved 48 post menopausal women with pre-hypertension (120-139/80-89) and stage 1 hypertension (140-159/90-99). Half of the women dosed 11 g of freeze dried blueberry powder 2 times per day (mixed with 1 cup of water, at least 6 hours apart) and the other half dosed 11 g of placebo powder 2 times per day. After 8 weeks, the participants who took the freeze dried blueberry powder had a significant decrease in their systolic (upper number, 5.1% lower) and diastolic (lower number, 6.3% lower) blood pressure in comparison  to the placebo group (who showed no change in any measurements after 8 weeks).  Whether it is blueberry powder or fresh blueberries, this trial provides good reason to aim to integrate some form of blueberries into our daily routine as another way to support our overall heart health. 

The Use of Bleach and the Frequency of Infections in Children

In the July 2015 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal, author Sarah Bedell Cook discusses the findings of the Health Effects of Indoor Pollutants:  Integrating Microbial, Toxicological, and Epidemiological Approaches (HITEA) project. This project evaluated over 9000 children, between the ages of 6-12 years, attending schools in Spain, the Netherlands, and Finland. The study looked at the frequency of infections and the use of bleach as a home cleaning disinfectant. The study found that the children exposed to bleach at least 1 time per week had a higher frequency of infections.  Specifically in the Netherlands, a significantly increased risk for influenza (27% higher) was seen, in Finland, a significantly increased risk for tonsillitis (141% higher) and sinusitis (118% higher) was seen, and in Spain, a significantly increased risk for all infections (28% higher) was seen. The information gathered from this project provides another great reason to shift to natural based cleaners. There are a number of products available for purchase and we can also make our own cleaners with vinegar, baking soda, essential oils. 

CAND Conference

I recently attended the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) Health Fusion conference.  There were many great and informative sessions offered.  Here is some of the interesting information that was passed along:

From Walter Crinnion's session, The Lost Male Room:
- Phthalates (found in food packaging, flooring, toys, shower curtains, body care products etc) have testosterone and estrogen lowering effects - the higher levels of phthalates we have in our urine, the lower levels of estrogen and testosterone we have.
- As well exhaust from vehicles and cigarette smoke also impact our reproductive hormone levels as do perfluorocarbons (found in scotchguard and Teflon) and pesticides.
- Ways to reduce our exposure to these environmental toxins and manage these impacts on our hormones include: avoiding food that is wrapped/cooked/heated in plastic, avoiding Teflon coated cookware, aiming to use non toxic/fragrance free body care products, using a high quality pleated electrostatic air filter on our furnace, using a high quality air filter especially in our bedroom while we are sleeping, eating certified organic food when possible.

From Mary Bove's session, Women's Wellness and Insomnia:
- When we are dealing with insomnia, we need to ensure we have a well established sleep routine which includes not watching any over stimulating shows (including the news) in the evening.
- We also need to build in wind down/relaxation time before going to bed - this can start as early as 6 PM.
- For some people, blood sugar imbalance contributes to insomnia - aiming to eat within 30 minutes of waking in the morning can help set a more balanced blood sugar level for the day which can have a positive impact on sleep.  
- One of the primary causes of insomnia can be chronic pain and inflammation.
- Ways we can help to reduce the level of inflammation in our body include:  reducing our intake of sugar and caffeine, ensuring that we are consuming enough calories each day, working to ensure healthy digestive function, reducing our environmental toxic load, addressing any chronic infections, and managing our stress levels.

From Nigel Plummer's session, Perinatal and Childhood Intervention:
- Low birth weight babies have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular/heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity - working with supportive supplements can help to decrease these risks.
- Leptin, which helps to manage healthy weight balance, is found in high amounts in breast milk - extended breastfeeding lowers children's lifetime risk of developing obesity.  
- Folic acid, when taken for 1 year prior to getting pregnant, significantly reduces the risk of premature delivery.
- Low vitamin C levels and low vitamin B6 levels are associated with an increased risk of premature delivery.
- Low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of pre-eclampsia.
- Well balanced vitamin D levels are associated with a decreased risk of baby developing asthma.
- Daily multivitamin use is associated with a lower risk of having a low birth weight baby.
- Dosing of a probiotic in the third trimester and for the first 6 months of children's life is associated with a significantly reduced risk of children developing asthma and eczema.

Happy Almost Summer!

Similar to last year, I started a number of seeds indoors earlier this year.  Instead of planting seeds for perennial planting, I decided to start seeds for annual/potted plants.  I like to use certified organic seeds for planting and there is a great greenhouse in Winnipeg called Sage Garden Greenhouse that has a huge selection of certified organic seeds that I was able to order online (here is a link to their website -  http://www.sagegarden.ca).

Here are some certified organic seed garlic and tulips that I picked up at Sage Garden Greenhouse and planted in the fall!

I used both a seed warming mat and lights to help my seedlings grow this year.  Here is my seedling supervisor!

Some of the seeds would sprout, but I couldn't get them to survive, especially poppies, so I direct seeded some poppy seeds (and bachelor buttons and zinnias) directly into some outdoor pots in early April and I am so pleased that they are growing so well!

I also had a tough time getting the chamomile and lavender seeds to sprout indoors, but I did get one chamomile plant (and I have a few small plants growing that I direct seeded into the outdoor pots - the chamomile is the tall green plant to the left in the green planter, it is beside sage that was easier to grow from seed) and 3 lavender plants (the lavender is in the blue pot below)!

I also started lemon balm (in the top picture below) and calendula (in the bottom picture below) both of which were also easier to start from seed indoors.  

This year was another good learning opportunity for gardening.  I am excited with all the plants that are growing outdoors now and look forward to watching them over the summer.

Bisphenol A and Blood Pressure

An article by Jessica Tran in the March 2015 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal discusses a trial looking at bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and blood pressure. The trial involved 60 volunteers who either drank 2 servings of soy milk from glass bottles or from BPA lined cans. The volunteers consumed the drinks on 3 separate occasions and fasted for 8 hours prior to drinking the soy milk and had no other food or drink for 2 hours after. Their urinary BPA concentration and blood pressure were measured each time 2 hours after the volunteers drank the soy milk.  The volunteers who drank from the BPA lined cans were found to have a 1600% increase in urinary BPA concentration and a 4.5 mmHg increase in blood pressure compared to the volunteers who drank from the glass bottles.  Even though this isn't a huge increase in blood pressure, it can still be significant for many of us.  This trial provides another valuable reason to aim to limit our exposure to BPA (and an additional strategy to manage our blood pressure).  Ways to do this include: storing food and drinks in glass or stainless steel containers, limiting our consumption of food from BPA lined cans, limiting our exposure to cash register receipts (which contain BPA).