Nourishing Choices - Part 2

In Part 1 of my mini series, Nourishing Choices, I wrote about sweeteners and the new choices I've made in that area. For part 2 of this series I think it is fitting to now write about salt, just because salty is the opposite of sweet :).

Our new choice for salt in our home is Celtic Sea Salt. After reading about the many benefits that Celtic Sea Salt offers I made the big purchase. And yes, it is a big purchase, as compared to what I usually purchased before, Morton Salt (26 oz.), which costs around $0.80. Celtic Sea salt (8 oz.) at Whole Foods costs around $10.00. Despite the huge difference in price, I am very happy with our new choice as the salt is nutritious as well as delicious and really brings out the flavor in the foods to which it is added.

There are many brands of Celtic Sea Salt available including certified organic brands. I buy the brand pictured above and I'm satisfied with it.

Here are some of the benefits of Celtic Sea salt as listed upon healthfree.com:

• Celtic Sea Salts are a prime condiment that stimulates salivation, helps to balance and replenishes all of the body's electrolytes.
• It provides renewed energy
• It gives you a high resistance to infections and bacterial diseases
• It supplies all 82 vital trace minerals to promote optimum biological function and cellular maintenance.
• It balances alkaline/acid levels
• It restores good digestion
• The natural iodine in these salts protects against radiation, atomic fallout and many other pollutants.
• It can aid in relieving allergies and skin diseases
• And overall greatly reduces toxins and to help prevent ill-health
• Properly stored, salt keeps virtually indefinitely.

Nourishing Choices - Part 1

This is the continuation of my post, "Called To Nourish." This continuation will be a mini series entitled "Nourishing Choices." I will be sharing the changes I have made in our home in regards to the food I choose, buy and prepare for my family.

Sweetners

Over the years I've purchased and experimented with many forms of sweetners. These sweetners have included, white pure cane sugar, honey, Splenda, molasses, organic unprocessed cane sugar, brown sugar, aguave, maple syrup and stevia. I've now made the choice to not purchase white sugar and I've chosen honey to be our primary sweetner. (Please note that if you offered me a moist piece of chocolate cake or a fresh slice of lemon meringue pie, both made with white sugar, I would not refuse it!) My decision, however, is a conscious effort to assure that the majority of sweetners my family consumes be as natural as possible and not be detrimental to their health. Of course, also natural sweetners must not be consumed in excess for that wouldn't be healthy or good for us either.

Raw, unprocessed local honey is my absolute first choice for a sweetner, but it is VERY expensive. I've reconciled myself to the reality that I cannot make raw local honey the primary source of sweetner in my home until I find a more affordable source. For now I make do with processed honey for baking and everyday use. I do buy small quantities of raw honey at our local farmers market which I use for medicinal purposes in cases of colds and allergies.

Secondary sweetners in my kitchen include, organic maple syrup for pancakes and stevia once in a while for baked goods. I have a small bottle in my pantry that I've had for two years now and it's halfway full! This tells you how much I like it! Stevia has a light licorice taste that can interfere with the overall taste of the food you are preparing. However, it is still a good choice and I use it occasionally.

Now, we all know how bad processed white sugar is especially in regards to tooth decay, but I was really convicted after reading over and over in different books and website the detrimental effects of sugar in our bodies.

Consider these facts:

Sugar suppresses the immune system by causing the pancreas to secrete abnormally large quantities of insulin, which is required to break it down.

Insulin remains in circulation in the bloodstream long after sugar has been metabolized, and one of its main side effects is to suppress the release of growth hormone in the pituitary gland.

Growth hormone is a primary regulator of the immune system, so anyone who eats a lot of sugar every day is going to experience critical growth hormone deficiency and consequent immune deficiency caused by the constant presence of insulin in the bloodstream.

Furthermore, refined white sugar is treated as a toxic foreign agent by the immune system, owing to its unnatural chemical structure as well as the industrial contaminants it retains from the refining process.

Sugar thus triggers an unnecessary immune response while simultaneously suppressing immune function, thereby debilitating the immune system with a double edged sword.

Sugar is the chief culprit in many diseases and degenerative conditions.

It can easily cause diabetes and is a major factor in candidacies, both of which are epidemic in the industrialized Western world.

Since sugar is 'nutritionally naked', the body must 'borrow' the missing vitamins, minerals and other synergistic nutrients required to metabolize sugar from its own tissues.

Heavy sugar consumption therefore causes a constant siphoning of nutrients from the body. Recent evidence suggests that sugar causes dental problems not so much by contact with the teeth but rather by leaching the teeth of calcium from within.

Sugar also depletes the body of potassium and magnesium, which are required for proper cardiac function, and is therefore a major factor in heart disease. (To learn more click: Sugar )

View this informative chart of natural sweetners to learn more about sweetners and help you in your own nourishing choices: Natural Sweetners

Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has a wonderful post about the most nutritious sweetners. Read her post by clicking HERE. At the bottom of her post Laura lists other sites to further educate ourselves on sweetners.

Called To Nourish

As a Keeper at Home I have the blessed opportunity to provide wonderfully nourishing foods to my family. Foods that promote healing, that strengthen the immune system, provide energy and important vitamins and minerals to growing bodies.

I’ve been interested in nutrition on and off throughout my life as a wife and a mother. My interest in nutrition once again has been sparked due to health situations in my own life and that of my youngest son. The Lord has impressed upon me the importance of taking responsibility for my “temple”, and the “temples” of my husband and children.

Several years ago, due to chronic sinus infections, I embarked on a semi-vegetarian diet with mostly all organic whole food for myself and my family. Although I benefited greatly from that diet, I quit after one year because it became very expensive. For several other periods I bought only organic meats and dairy and grocery shopped at only natural food stores, but also quit again due to the expense. I came to the conclusion that in order for this change to be permanent I needed to take time to research, plan, comparison shop and budget to be able to provide the highest quality whole foods to my family. I have found that with a lot of planning and creativity I can provide a mostly organic whole food diet for my loved ones and stay within reasonable boundaries in our food budget.

To be continued…