Flax Seed - The Natural Laxative

It is all right to take over-the-counter laxatives once in a while, especially if you have been badly constipated for a few days. Relying on laxatives alone to get the bowels moving is not beneficial to your body in the long run. Know that the prolonged conveyance of chemical substances to the gut could seriously disrupt the bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract and compromise the bodys immune defenses in the process. What the body needs is a natural laxative that will provide you about three bowel movements a day and of course get you dumping those feces regularly. And to get that done, you will have to feed the body frequently with plant sources rich in dietary fibers, like flax seed.

Flax seedis packed with remarkable health benefits inside and out, making it an ideal dietary supplement. The husk is enriched with insoluble fibers that readily combine with water to soften stool, induce bowel movement, and facilitate the excretion of feces from the colon to prevent constipation. Moreover, dietary fibers instantly provide a full feeling during meals, making flax seed an effective weight loss supplement as well. Grind the seed moderately and your body will surely benefit from a threshold of nutrients you will not find bundled in any other dietary supplement.

Seed

Trapped inside the husk isflax seed oil,which happens to be the richest plant resource for the renowned EFAs (essential fatty acids) known as Omega 3 and also the phytochemicals called lignans. Omega 3 EFAs are unsaturated types of fat that sweep the artery walls from an undue formation of HDL, or the bad cholesterol, thus preventing the onset of hypertension, heart disease, and strokes. What a good way to nurture your cardiovascular health! Omega 3 also helps regulate metabolic, digestive, mental, and adrenal functions.

Flax Seed - The Natural Laxative

Lignans are naturally occurring chemicals that play a vital role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes, tumor, and cancer cell formation by cushioning the impact of free radicals on bodily cells. Flax seed was not hailed as the health wonder of the 90s for nothing. Completing its nutritional portfolio is an array of vitamins and minerals bound to keep the body agile, fit, and healthy all day long.

Say goodbye to pharmaceutical laxatives for good. Taking milled flax seed regularly beats constipation in no time while nourishing the body with the health benefits of dietary fibers, Omega 3, lignans, and multivitamins. That is nutrition and wellness available in a few servings of flax.

Flax Seed - The Natural Laxative

Bruce Maul is a partner in Goldf Flax Seed, Inc. which provides only top quality Flax Seed and Health related products. Learn more about Flax Seed by visiting http://www.goldflaxseed.com

Are There Toxic Chemicals in Your "ORGANIC" Personal Care Products?

The Organic Consumers Association has stated that many so-called "organic" or "natural" product brands were actually made with toxic chemicals such as 1,4-dioxane, Olefin Sulfonate, and Amdiopropyl Betaine.

Recently, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court against a number of personal care brands to force them to stop making misleading organic labeling claims. Companies sued by Dr. Bronner's include Estee Lauder, Ecocert, OASIS, Stella McCartney's CARE, Jasön, Avalon Organics, Nature's Gate, Kiss My Face, Ikove and others. Each of the companies being sued is using potentially dangerous chemicals that certainly don't qualify as natural or organic, according to Dr Bronner's.

Organic

The products include shampoo, body wash, liquid soap, skin cleansers and other personal care products. It seems that many of the companies in the "organic" products industry are flatly dishonest, and they're jumping on the organic bandwagon as a clever tactic to make a quick buck rather than formulating their products with genuinely honest organic ingredients that put consumer health first.

Are There Toxic Chemicals in Your "ORGANIC" Personal Care Products?

The major cleansing ingredient in Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic" liquid soaps, body washes and shampoos is Sodium Myreth Sulfate, a corrosive de-greaser which is cumulative in the body and is listed as hazardous on the data sheets that the US government puts out on chemicals.

The major cleansing ingredient in Avalon "Organics" soaps, bodywashes and shampoos,
Cocamidopropyl Betaine, contains conventional non-organic chemicals combined with the petrochemical Amdiopropyl Betaine. Nature's Gate "Organics" main cleansers are Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Kiss My Face "Obsessively Organic" cleansers main ingredients are Olefin Sulfonate (a pure petrochemical) and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Juice "Organics", Giovanni "Organic Cosmetics", Head "Organics", Desert Essence "Organics", and Ikove "Organic" all use CocamdiopropylBetaine. Betaine is a common cleansing ingredient and no cleansers made from it can be certified organic due to its petrochemical compounds.

Ecocert is a French-based certifier that allows cleansing ingredients made from conventional and organic agriculture. It also includes, in the cleansing ingredients contained in products labeled as "Made with Organic ingredients", certain petrochemicals such as Amidopropyl Betaine. Ecocert certifies the Ikove brands' cleansing products to contain less than 50% organic content, noted in small text on the back of the product, where all cleansing ingredients are non-organic including Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Yet the product is labeled "Organic Amazonian Avocado Bath & Shower Gel".

Another instance is Stella McCartney's "100% Organic" CARE line certified by Ecocert that labels products as "100% Organic" that are not 100% Organic alongside ones that are; the labels of products that are not 100% organic simply insert the word "Active" before "Ingredients." In allowing such labeling, Ecocert ignores the requirements of its own certification standards. The primary organic content in most Ecocert certified products comes from "Flower Waters" in which up to 80% of the "organic" content consists merely of just regular tap water that Ecocert counts as "organic."

The new Organic and Sustainable Industry Standard ("OASIS")-a standard developed exclusively by certain members of the industry, primarily Estee Lauder, with no consumer input, will permit certification of products outright as "Organic" (rather than as "Made with Organic" ingredients) even if such products contain hydrogenated and sulfated cleansing ingredients such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate made from conventional agricultural material grown with synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and preserved with synthetic petrochemical preservatives such as Ethylhexylglycerin and Phenoxyethanol. The organic content is required to only be 85%, which in water and detergent-based personal care products, means organic water extracts and aloe vera will be all that is needed to convert conventional synthetic cleansing ingredients to "organic".

The OASIS standard is not only useless but deliberately misleading to organic consumers looking for a reliable indicator of true "organic" products. Organic consumers expect that cleansing ingredients in products labeled "Organic" be made from actual organic ingredients, not conventional farming methods or chemical preservatives. Surprisingly, companies represented on the OASIS board, such as Hain (Jason "Pure, Natural & Organic"; Avalon "Organics") and Cosway (Head "Organics",) produce liquid soap, bodywash and shampoo products with petrochemicals in their cleansers even though use of petrochemicals in this way is not permitted even under the very permissible OASIS standard these companies have themselves developed and endorsed.

Organic consumers have a right to expect that the personal care products they purchase with organic label claims contain cleansing ingredients made from organic material, not conventional or petrochemical material.

Are There Toxic Chemicals in Your "ORGANIC" Personal Care Products?

Rebecca Jablonski

[http://creatingwealthandhealth.info/]

Creating the Perfect Vegetable Tray

If you are hosting a party, you will need to create a presentably appealing vegetable tray. Creating a veggie tray is really easy if you plan ahead and gather everything that you will need before you begin to assemble your tray.

You will need a round serving tray or a specially designed veggie tray that has divided cavities for placing your vegetables in. If your tray doesn't come with a vegetable dip container, you will need to supply one.

Vegetable

It is recommended that you choose 5-7 vegetables to present on your party tray.

Creating the Perfect Vegetable Tray

Preparation:

Wash and pat dry all of your vegetables. Cut off any roots, stems or unwanted leafy portions.

Vegetable Selection:

Leafy Lettuce: Separate the lettuce leaves and use them to line your vegetable tray.

Broccoli: Cut florets off the stalk into individual serving-sized pieces.

Cauliflower: Cut pieces from head of cauliflower into individual serving-sized pieces.

Cherry Tomatoes: Remove stems. Wash and pat dry.

Cucumbers: You can remove the skin or leave it, that is entirely up to you. Slice cucumber into 1/4" thick round slices.

Carrots: If using baby carrots, you will will not need to slice them down. If using full-sized carrots, you will need to slice them down into sticks measuring approximately 1/4" by 4" in size.

Celery: Cut off leafy portions. Cut celery stalks into 4" long pieces.

Radishes: Cut off top portion of radishes and any roots that might remain. It is best to use radishes that are less than 1 1/2" in diameter.

Mushrooms: If you are using baby mushrooms, leave just a 1/4" of the stem remaining. If using larger sized mushrooms, slice them down into individual pieces.

Green Pepper: Remove the stem and seeds. Cut down into sticks measuring 1/4" by 4" in length.

Assembly:

Arrange the lettuce leaves on your tray, covering the entire bottom of the tray. Take your prepared vegetables and arrange them around the tray in sections. Try to keep your colors separated and spread out the green colored vegetables. I like to use a green vegetable, then a colored vegetable and then another green vegetable and so forth as I go around my tray. Leave an opening in the center of your tray for your vegetable dip.

Once you have all your vegetables onto the tray, its time to garnish the tray.

Garnish Ideas:

If you are using a flat serving tray, you can separate your vegetable sections by laying a celery stick or carrot stick between each section. I like to add some additional color by garnishing with green and black olives, purple cabbage curls, radish shaped flowers or even a few green and red grapes.

Here is a great dip recipe.

Dill Weed Vegetable Dip

1 c. sour cream
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. parsley
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced onion

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Chill for several hours before serving. Serve with raw vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

Creating the Perfect Vegetable Tray

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989. Shelly is a Manager with Tupperware. You can contact Shelly at:
Web: http://www.classybusinesswomen.com
Recipe Blog: http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com

Vegetable Side Dishes To Serve With Fish

If you are planning to serve fish for dinner, what about making a tasty grilled vegetables recipe to go with it? Most fish is delicately flavored and if you want to make an impressive dish, you might like to make a colorful vegetable side dish to go alongside the fish.

Actually, you can choose from baked, sauteed, steamed, or grilled fresh vegetables. If the weather is good, you might like to make a grilled corn recipe or some vegetable kabobs. You can grill the fish at the same time. Alternatively make the meal indoors.

Vegetable

Weight watchers will love fish with grilled vegetables because it is such a healthy dish yet a delicious one. Diet food does not have to be boring and you can season most fish delicately with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and some black pepper. There is no need for fattening creamy dressings when you serve fish or seafood.

Vegetable Side Dishes To Serve With Fish

Couscous And Roasted Bell Pepper Salad

Boil a cup of couscous according to the instructions on the box. That usually means using twice as much water as couscous and a pinch of salt. Couscous takes about fifteen minutes to get soft. When most of the liquid is gone, take it off the heat, and put the lid on. Let it sweat for ten minutes.

Put it in a colander, rinse it with cold water to get the starch off and let it drain. Puree three roasted or grilled red bell peppers and add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, a bit of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Finely chop a cup of sweet pickles and add these.

Pour most of the red bell pepper dressing over the couscous and stir well. Peel and grate a pair of carrots and add these. Cover and chill. Bring the salad back to room temperature to serve it. You can add some more dressing if you like. This would go well with baked cod or tilapia.

Cajun Potato Salad

This recipe serves four people. Cook two pounds of peeled potatoes and cut them into chunks. Chop four green onions and add these. You can reserve some of the sliced green part for garnish, if you want to. You can also add a chopped jalapeno chili if you like, or even two for a very spicy side dish.

Combine a tablespoon of mustard with three quarters of a cup of yogurt, a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, and a dash of cayenne pepper in another bowl, and then season this dressing with salt and pepper.

Toss the potatoes and green onions with the Cajun dressing and sprinkle the remaining green onion over the top. Serve this delicious vegetable recipe with blackened salmon for an easy gourmet meal.

Zucchini With Corn And Lemon

The mixture of dill and lemon in this recipe is really good and this side dish would go well with any fish entree. Saute a thinly sliced zucchini with half a chopped onion and quarter of a teaspoon of dill weed in a tablespoon of butter in a pan.

Add a fifteen ounce can of drained whole kernel corn and a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and warm everything through before serving. This recipe might sound simple you will be surprised how perfectly balanced and flavorful it is.

Vegetable Side Dishes To Serve With Fish

If you love cooking with vegetables, why not make some vegetable pizza recipes? Grilled vegetables have a subtle smoky flavor and you can use them to make all kinds of mouthwatering vegetable side dishes.

GrilledVegetableRecipe.com - The Veggie Side of Grilling

Pesticide For Organic Vegetable Gardens

Pesticide for Organic Vegetable Gardens

To control pests in an organic vegetable garden you must use organic and natural means. No artificial or chemically processed pesticide is to be used. This excludes all commercial pesticides, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Instead, all methods to control insect pests are either biological or chemically natural.

\"Organic Vegetable\"

Before I elaborate on these pesticides for organic vegetable gardens, here are two general practices to be observed:
Keep your soil healthy and clean and maintain an ideal sand/clay balance. For organic vegetation, the soil should be slightly clayey as it has more nutrients than sandy soil.

Pesticide For Organic Vegetable Gardens

Check on your vegetables daily. Inspect the leaves, roots and general look of the plants. Look out for any wilting, yellowing or traces of insect pest damage or activity (such as the aphid's honeydew). By doing so, you nip pest problems in the bud.

Here are some common insect pests in your organic vegetable garden:

1. Aphids (also known as greenflies) - they suck the sap from vegetables and other plants and leave a sticky substance called honeydew on the leaves. This breeds a fungus called sooty mold. If aphids attack a plant, it would have withered, yellow leaves.

2. Mealy bugs (also known as wooly aphids) - they also suck sap from plants but are mostly found in humid places.

3. Bean leaf beetle - the adult beetle feeds on the underside of bean vegetable leaves while the larvae attack its roots.

4. Flea beetle - these are small insects with black bodies that chew holes in leaves and leave crisscross markings on them.

5. Squash bugs - insects that attack vegetables like cucumbers, squash, melons and pumpkins.

6. Green stink bug - these flat and green insects attack bean pods, leaving bulging and wart-like spots.

7. Cucumber beetle - these beetles are greenish-yellow in color with either stripes or spots. They feed on vegetable seedlings where their larvae feed on roots and burrow holes through them. These beetles spread bacterial wilt among cucurbit vegetables like cucumbers and melons.

Now here are some ways to control pests in an organic vegetable garden:

1. Biological method

This is where friendly insects destroy the insect pests. For example, the parasitic wasp lays its eggs on the aphid and when the larvae hatch, they devour its host. Ladybirds also attack and kill the aphid and other pests. Other friendly insects include lacewings, praying mantis etc. You can draw friendly insects to your garden by planting flowers or maintaining a weed patch nearby.

2. Horticultural method

This method involves planting certain herbs such as garlic, sage, peppermint and basil that are disliked by pests. This is a good natural way to keep insect pests away.

The horticultural method also involves mixed cultivation (also known as companion planting) of your vegetables. Certain types of vegetables help each other repel insect pests. For example, onions and carrots help each other eliminate the onion fly and the carrot fly. Even flowers can be used. For example, the marigold draws away nematodes from the vegetables.

Another way of dealing with pests under this method is rotation planting. This is where you rotate your vegetables among the raised beds in your garden after each year. This reduces the proliferation of insect pests.

3. Natural chemical methods

In this method, you use natural substances against insect pests. One example is insecticidal soap. Insecticidal soap is made of sodium or potassium salts of either animal or plant oils. Chemically, they are the salts of the fatty acid portion of fats and oils. You can either buy it or make it yourself. Insecticidal soap is very effective against soft-bodied insect pests like aphids and mealy bugs. It can also be used to wash off honeydew stains from the leaves.

Another example is bacillus thuringiensis (BT) or friendly bacteria. There are about 80 types of BT. They are poisonous to insect pests. You sprinkle them on the vegetables and in time, they are consumed by the pests.

As you see, you don't have to use synthetic commercial pesticides to protect your organic vegetables. That keeps your vegetables uncontaminated by such pesticides.

Pesticide For Organic Vegetable Gardens

Francis King is a vegetable garden enthusiast. Visit Vegetable Garden Secrets for more expert advice on organic vegetable garden pesticide [http://www.veggietips.com/organic-vegetable-garden-pesticide], how to cultivate and keep a healthy organic vegetable garden.

Garden Netting to Keep Birds Out

Garden nettings are a convenient and easy way to protect your produces, whether they are fruits or other crops. A net is easy to attach to an aluminum scaffolding and is great at keeping the birds off of your premises, but do you really need to get it?

Every year birds cause the most damage in fruit orchards and berry plants. These birds sometimes ruin the whole produce, sometimes they take a bite or two off every apple and it slowly rots away. You can use a scarecrow but most birds don't sniff at it twice, and keep on taking what they think is theirs. You can keep them away easily, and more importantly, without paying a fortune while doing so.

\"Organic Vegetable\"

Industrial premises, like airports tend to use ultra-sound bird repellents, but they also put some netting on top of their hangars, for the same reasons every gardener should: to keep birds away from places they're not welcome.

Garden Netting to Keep Birds Out

There are several different types of garden nets out there. The price doesn't always tell you if it's going to be a good quality net or something the first bird flies right through, but it's going to be a good indication. The cheaper the net the lower the quality is usually, but if you can have some knitted polyethylene material, you're in for some serious business. These nets are able to hold off forty pounds of trust, heat and flame resistant, and they're UV ready as well.

If you don't want to have a permanent net, and are fine with it holding on for a year, an extruded diamond pattern polyethylene or polypropylene fruit netting is just as good as it gets. It keeps the birds away and is UV protected as well, but won't stay for more than a year usually. The cheap price makes up for it though, if you were thinking about trying them, it's a perfectly fine solution.

If your garden is in any way special, or there are tall trees you want to protect, or power wire is in the way, calling an expert is not mandatory, but highly advised. They will help you install a net for a small fee and that is going to be put properly. If an expert installs a net they usually give some warranty as well, taking a look around on the market doesn't hurt one bit.

If you think a garden netting might be the good solution to keep your fruits safe until they're ripe, find a local dealership and ask them if they advise it in your particular case. These nettings can be used in great variety of cases, but looking around online is going to save you effort, money and time. Even if you don't order online, knowing your options is golden.

Garden Netting to Keep Birds Out

Thank you for reading my article about garden nettings. If you liked it you would perhaps like reading about fruit nettings as well.