The biggest news in my world over the March-April time period was that Deductive Seasoning was on hiatus in April. This was due to my daughter's illness, which began in December as a diverticulitis flare and ended in April with surgery, with a detour through antibiotic-induced delirium that was extremely unnerving for everyone involved.
Several trips to Texas resulted with very little time for blogging what with hanging out at a hospital all day and night. During the blog's hiatus, Google recorded nearly as many hits as when I have a new post up every 3 days, causing me to wonder if I really need to write or not!
In non-blog news, we lost a plane. We keep mistaking trash in the ocean for debris as apparently there's a lot of trash in the ocean. The plane is just completely missing.
Russia took a bite out of the Ukraine, which is apparently not as good as taking a bite out of crime-a. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth seems to have occurred, but no actual consequences. A bunch of nuns were heard singing, 'How do you solve a problem like Crimea?'
A ferry capsized off South Korea with 459 people aboard: 30 crew members, 325 high school students on a field trip, 15 school teachers and 89 other passengers. Nearly 200 hundred were rescued, but several hundred remain missing.
An outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. Apparently, bats are the viral reservoir and some poor, hungry people were eating bats. I recommend you NOT have bats for breakfast; in this case, Ebola Lucky Charms is actually preferable.
In a most intriguing case of tenant rights, a man who has not paid his rent in 20 years and has had numerous court cases decided on behalf of his landlord, threw a hissy fit with his friends while being evicted. When the media didn't pay enough attention, he got a rise out of folks by making provocative racist statements and the eviction was halted. I need a landlord like this.
A pair of popes were canonized; I hadn't even known they came in pairs, thought that was just bishops.
Now that the snarkiness, sarcasm and smart-assness about current events is complete, the really good stuff in March and April...
| Vitamin J: A Missing Link? from Tuit Nutrition - I had never seen Amy's blog until someone on Google+ shared this post. I think it's one of the more important bits that the real food movement often misses out on, whether you're from the Price/Pottenger or Paleo/Primal end of the spectrum, this is for YOU as odds are you could use more vitamin J! There's lots more worth exploring on her site, so thank to whomever shared this post. | |
| Support your brain and heart with these Omega 3 foods (and note these common misconceptions) from Fresh Bites Daily - discusses the importance of EPA and DHA to brain and heart health, plus the best real food sources for increasing consumption (fish, nuts & seeds, pastured meat). She also addresses some misconceptions, like the notion that selenium in fish protects from mercury (no real research to back this up last time I looked). | |
| Lime Chipotle Corn Off the Cob from The Organic Kitchen - is a spicy corn recipe where you first cut fresh corn off the cob, then sauté it in butter, and finally add lime juice, chipotle chili powder and sea salt for a delectable side dish. | |
| Quality And Sustainability In The Herb Industry from Numen Blog - is an interview with David Winston and Beth Lambert of Herbalist & Alchemist. I particularly like the balancing of traditional usage, research-based science and personal experience that they bring to herbs; it's very similar to my own attitude towards food & nutrition. | |
| 7 Things You Had No Idea Gut Bacteria Could Do from Mark's Daily Apple - discusses some of the exciting new research in this field, going beyond the involvement in our immune systems and improvement in digestion. Did you know the right gut bacteria can reduce phytic acid? That bacteria may be the difference between those who tolerate gluten and those who don't? Certain bacteria seem to cure various psychological ailments, such as OCD, anxiety and depression. IMO, this is the most exciting field of biochemistry lately. | |
| How to Make Your Own Vanilla Extract from LittleOwlCrunchyMomma - is similar to my method of making vanilla extract, which turns out yummy and much cheaper than anything you can buy. | |
| How to Grow (Lots of) Tomatoes Organically - Plus Innovative Gardening Techniques from Common Sense Homesteading - is a comprehensive two-part tutorial, one part for beginning gardeners and the second for more advanced ones. Tomatoes are the most popular garden crop for good reason! This post pretty much includes everything you need to know whether you are growing a container tomato on your patio or rows upon rows for canning. | |
| A Clean Shave - Shaving the Eco-Friendly Way! from How We Flourish - is about using a safety razor (pretty much the most frugal shaving choice) along with a bar of soap, a shaving brush, and a shaving mug - the best shave for both blokes and chicks. | |
| Common Nutrient Deficiencies, Their Health Consequences and How You Can Fix Them - Part 1: Potassium Deficiency, Bone & Protein Loss, Stroke, Heart Disease & High Mortality from SuppVersity - is a rare discussion of potassium, which it is estimated that NONE of us get enough of. Supplements are limited to 99 mg, nowhere near the 4700 mg RDA. Both low-carbing and insulin cause potassium loss; I have to supplement with prescription potassium to keep my feet from blowing up. Low potassium cause hypertension, edema, and congestive heart failure (likely why CHF is a side effect of Lantus, a long-acting insulin). Eat your veggies, drink mineral water and consider Lite salt if your rbc potassium is not 70% of the range (serum potassium WILL be in range, or you're pretty much dead or dying). | |
| Healthy Chicken Parmesan Recipe from Mind Body Oasis - is a gluten-free version of this Italian favorite using goat cheese instead of cow cheese. | |
| Sitting Your Way To Success from The Contrary Farmer - is an essay from my favorite homesteading author on the difference between physical and mental work and why some of us find hard labor preferable to office work. | |
| Why I'm Not Dismissing the Latest "Animal Protein is Bad" Study (But Not Losing Sleep Over It, Either) from Raw Food SOS - is an interesting post dissecting recent research and teasing out the actual useful conclusions, as opposed to the one-liner sound bites reported hysterically by the media. This includes some useful info on IGF-1 and lifespan also, which can be summed up by eating more broth. As always, Denise is just a joy to read with the humor and sarcasm peppering the actual information; she is a well-seasoned blogger. | |
| Homemade Citrus Electrolyte Drink - Great for Colds, Flu, Stomach Flu and Rehydration After Sports from Don't Mess with Mama - is a real food replacement for Pedialyte and Gatorade type products made from orange juice, lemon juice, honey and sea salt. | |
| Companion Planting Basics from Natural Living Mamma - why you should grow basil with your tomatoes and many other companion planting tips. | |
| mud mask the best kept secret of looking radiant from Actual Organics - describes the different types of clay you can use for different skin care issues, and how to apply the mask, remove, massage and tone for a full spa treatment at home. | |
| 200th Post - Diet, Inflammation, Disease & Gut Flora from Cooling Inflammation - is a summary of the previous 199 posts and what Dr. Ayer's considers the most important work he's done in his career in understanding human health. This is hard-core geekiness, but a good place to begin. You'll likely have to read a lot more of his blog to follow along completely though. | |
| Kombucha: Put it in your cup & Drink it up!! from Winter Stead - learn how to turn common tea into a probiotic powerhouse. The post includes directions for both a double brew and a continuous brew. | |
| What Is Hunger, and Why Are We Hungry? J. Stanton's AHS 2012 Presentation, Including Slides from Gnolls.org - As Stanton says, "This is some of my finest work. It provides a theoretical and practical framework for understanding hunger - an understanding sadly obscured by oversimplification and moralizing, from both scientists and policymakers. This is doubly unfortunate because the science of hunger is well-established, uncomplicated, and consonant with real-world experience." |
Note: if one of these is your site, you can grab an award here.
