WILD SEED HOLISTIC HEALTH
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Services
  • Intake forms
  • Resources

Organic Week is Here Again

20/9/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
As I am in the middle of pulling up my urban organic garden I get to reflect on all of the awesome reasons why we should all strive to go organic!

Here are a few of my thoughts this year;


Certified Organic is the only non-GMO standard overseen by the Canadian government

Organic standards in Canada forbid the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in seeds, in animal feed, and in the ingredients of processed organic food and products. If you’re concerned about GMOs, the only way to avoid them in your diet is by opting for certified organic products. Even when you are not buying certified organic, you can look for local farms that have organic values and just aren't certified yet or might be too small to afford the "certified fee".

Organic producers strive to preserve genetic diversity in our food

The loss of a large variety of species, or biodiversity, is one of the most pressing environmental concerns of our modern age. The good news is that many organic farmers have been collecting and preserving seeds and growing heirloom varieties to protect diversity. I try this in my own little patch of green, this year I've let a lot of things go to seed for next years planting; carrots, chard, spinach (that you can see in the picture has all gone to seed), parsnip, and I'll even try to collect some of the squash seeds. 

Organic Growers protect the health of farmers and children 

Farmers exposed to pesticides have a significantly higher risk of contracting cancer compared to non-farmers/ organic farmers.(1) Children are more affected than adults when they ingest pesticide residues in food which you can read more about here. Choosing organic reduces the exposure for children and the farmers who grew their food. 

Organic farmers build healthy soil for the future

Soil is the foundation of the food chain. Organic farming is focused on using sustainable practices that build healthy soil microbiology and prevent erosion, leaving fertile land that will provide for future generations.  This is part of the process we need to take to protect seed diversity and food security for our generation and many more to come. 

Studies show that organic produce has higher nutrient values

the British Journal of Nutrition, found that organic crops, ranging from carrots and broccoli to apples and blueberries, have substantially higher concentrations of a range of antioxidants and other potentially beneficial compounds. That review included data from more than 300 studies. 

These are just a few of my thoughts on why I love organic that I wanted to share with you this Organic Week in Canada!! 




References;

1)NIH; National Cancer Institute; Agricultural Health Study
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/ahs-fact-sheet


1 Comment

The Buzz of September; Talk about Pollinators

9/9/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
The mornings are getting crisper, and the overcast days come more and more. The other day it hailed here, who am I kidding, it's been hailing for the last month with very few breaks! And on these stormy days I think of preparing for the cooler season to come and all the little creatures in my yard and garden that are also getting ready. The pollinators are busy gathering the last of their food energy they will need to last them through a long, cold winter.

Mid summer when all of the plants bloom and grow, there is always pollen for them to collect, budding shrubs, wild flowers, and even trees that offer up a smorgasbord of pollen. Then fall hits, the variety of budding plants dwindle and the beautiful bees, in this urban environment, are left to hunt out what is left.

Over the years I have learned how essential they are to our food crops, not just bees but all pollinators like wasps, butterflies, flies, moths, and flower beetles. They are essential to crops like kiwis, melons, cashews, macadamia, apples, passion fruit, pears, and berries, and helpful to hundreds of other fruits and veggies.  For an extensive list you can find here.

Everyone seems to love the honey bee, so close to our sweet seaking hearts! I personally champion the Bumble,  the Bumble that has no sweet nectar to offer up to mankind, only the low drum of wings and their curiosity in us that seems so full of character and the cross pollination of plants that makes variety and species stronger. 

In My little urban garden I experiment with what draws them all, and I've come up with a short list of late bloomers that seem help with that last push before they tuck themselves in their hives or their holes for a winter's rest. 

Squash: I find blooms through mid and late summer all the way into fall, The bumbles especially like the big pollen that is produced and I will often times see them napping in the flower, and I always get a bumper harvest. 

Sunflowers: also have a long bloom period and even as they dry out latter in the season I see all types of bees and bugs on the beautiful seed pad. 


Basil: It’s hard to let basil go to flower, because the leaves become spicy and bitter, but if you do, the bees will come in droves. I will try and leave a few plants to their wild ways, and it seems that all species love them!

Lavender: is another great, late season bloom last, this comes from a hearty heirloom species, as I find that many new hybridized species,  can't stand the cold into the fall here in Western Canada. 

Salvia or Sage: a beautiful bloom, it is also known for it healing properties.  The German Commission E approved internal use for mild gastrointestinal upset and excessive sweating as well as for external use in conditions of inflamed mucous membranes of the mouth and throat.Sage has been used effectively for throat infections, dental abscesses, infected gums and mouth ulcers. The phenolic acids in sage are particularly potent against Staphylococcus aureus. In vitro, sage oil has been shown to be effective against both Escherichia coli and Salmonella species, and against filamentous fungi and yeasts such as Candida albicans. Sage also has an astringent action due to its relatively high tannin content and can be used in the treatment of infantile diarrhoea. Its has an antiseptic action in intestinal infection.

Love it , plant it, and let it be a benefit to everyone!

Catmint: as a lovely aromatic smell when pinched off and is still shooting new blooms in Sept. This can be picked and dried to use as tea. Just leave the blooming stems for our friends!

Thyme: is also a great blooming groundcover, I find in my garden, the wooly time is on a sunny slope and will bloom into the fall. I find the bees, especially the bumbles will walk or hop from bloom to bloom, so fascinating to watch.

Another amazing thing to watch is "The secret life of the Bumble Bee", on curiosity stream, awesome!

So I've had clients and friends ask why I talk about the bees and "growing something", anything, so much in my work. I do because it is not just about what nourishes our bodies, we need to nourishing our environment, it takes care of us, and we should try our best to take care of it. Growing something, especially food and herbs, will nourish your soul whether its a small container on the kitchen table or turning up the grass to grow greens.

There is a beautiful saying and I can not seem to find the author or reference for where I saw it but it stuck. 

So I will leave you with this;

"We have two houses while we are here, the first is our body, the second our planet, there is no other so keep them well."  








1 Comment

Back to School; What's in the Gas Tank?

2/9/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Fall Season is upon us, the wee ones are heading back to school or starting that amazing first year! At home it's easy to fuel their busy days, a rough schedule for meals, snacks when needed, but what about school lunches? Always a transition to swing back into the rigid schedule of school. 

The best set up is of course a healthy breakfast in the morning, and making sure that breakfast energy lasts all the way to recess, if schools even have "recess" anymore??

New environments, mentally challenging tasks, learning new things, challenging and working our memory paths, amazingly enough, doesn't use that much more energy than normal baseline activities of a lazy lake day in summer. What is amazing is the energy expenditure of our brains on any given day. Young and old, our brains use apx 20% of our total caloric intake as it's fuel source. Seeing as it is only 2% of our body mass, the ratio is extraordinarily high. Studies show that most of this energy is used in maintenance of the brain and in this process needs a constant and steady supply. 

While the food industry markets "healthy cereals", low in sugar,  made with whole grains, vitamin fortified, with colourful graphics that catch the attention of all, even the "healthiest" cereals are not the most awesome option to start the day with. Lacking in fats and protein, these refined carbohydrates will quickly be broken down and digested at a cellular level, the brain will be feed, and the energy will be there to meet the needs of the moment..... but only for a short while, spiking insulin levels, and setting up the inevitable crash of the processed carbohydrate meal. 

To slow the digestion of these sugars down, fats, protein, and fibre are a good start to make the glucose slowly release for sustained energy for much  longer. 

Whole grain toast and peanut or almond butter supplies a balance of healthy fats, protein, fibre , and carbohydrates that are needed to sustain and moderate glucose digestion, avoiding the crashes before the next meal.  Avoid spreads with added sugar as those can create energy deficits by spiking insulin levels and then a dramatic drop off blood sugar when it has been quickly ushered into the cells, instead stick to sugar free products. 

Organic Rolled oats topped with walnuts, almonds, chia and flax seeds and fresh berries, supply the similar balanced energy source that is great for those needing gluten free options.  Add almond flour, swap the fresh for dried berries, bake the mix and call it a seedy breakfast bar, ready-made, nutritious, delicious not time breakfast.  Follow the recipe here.

Boiled eggs are a great source of protein, sustaining energy through the morning. Making them the night before for one of the easiest, nature packed breakfast options. Always look for organic, free range, ethical eggs to avoid antibiotics, excess stress hormones, and toxins that are passed on from their feed. 

In our house, the breakfast of champions consists of premade sauteed tofu bites and sweet potato hashbrowns, steamed kale or chard, and 1/2 an avocado.  If everything is prepped in the fridge, this breakfast takes less time than oatmeal to prepare in the morning. I leave the tofu and sweet potato in a large glass container as it will stay good for days in the refrigerator , in another container I pre chop dark leafy greens so I can just grab a handful to throw in the pan while I'm heating up the hash. The avocado is the only measurable effort I put, if you count halving or quartering it,  into an amazingly yummy morning breakfast.

Picture
Snacks should be healthy and exciting enough not to try and trade for the others fantastically imaginative snack ideas like the HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) roll ups, misleadingly named "the fruit roll up".

Get your kids involved on the weekend making healthy snacks for the school week to come, can avoid these pit falls as they will be much more fascinated with eating the date and walnut muffins they made themselves than a slimy fruit cup from their desk partner..

Power balls are an easy, delightful snack time idea. Veggies and dip, fresh fruit and nuts, if you keep them all prepped in the fridge and let your young one be apart of preparing their lunch, with choices and responsibility, they will be more likely to finish whats in the box, and it sets them up with life long food skills and a healthy relationship with the kitchen. 

Lunch should be the same idea, mixing healthy carbohydrates from whole grains, with proteins, and healthy fats, prepping for the week. Involving your kids with the choices and responsibility of feeding themselves will set them up with lifelong skills that so many struggle with in our busy, busy society. 

Picky eaters have better success when they are allowed to pick from a healthy selection of food rather than being given a set lunch. An hour of food prep with them on Sundays could gain you 15-25 mins in every morning, for me, that is a decent return as I'm not the earliest of risers..


The most important take home is the relationships with food and the family, preparing it, sharing it, learning new things, creating healthy habits, and having time to bond. We learn all of these things at a very early age and it set the stage for lifetime habits. 

~To everyones success in health and happiness.

​


​
0 Comments

    Archives

    November 2021
    June 2021
    June 2020
    March 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All
    Acid Reflux And GERD
    Adaptogens
    And Seeds
    Antibacterial Foods
    Anti Inflammatory
    Anti-inflammatory
    Antioxidants
    Antiviral Foods
    Aspartame
    Beans And Legumes
    Bees
    Better Sleep
    Blood Pressure
    Blood Sugar And Carbohydrates
    Bone Health
    Brain Health
    Breakfast
    Breakfast To Balance Blood Sugars
    Cancer Fighting Foods
    Cancer Prevention
    Charitable Organizations
    Cold & Flu
    Colliodal Sliver
    Colours Of Nutrition
    Cooking Classes
    Cooking Oils
    Dandelion Health Benefits
    Digestive Health
    Easy Recipes
    Electrolytes
    Epigenetics
    Fibre
    Food And Mood Tracker
    Gluten Free
    Glycemic Load
    Granola
    Guthealth
    Gut Health
    Headaches Ease
    Healing Plants
    Healthy Eating
    Healthy Environments
    Healthy Habits
    Heart Health
    Herbs
    Hydration
    IBD
    IBS
    Immune
    Immunity Support
    Inflammation
    Lifestlye
    Longevity
    Meal Prepping
    Microbiome Health
    Mindful Eating
    New Recipes
    New Years
    Nightshades
    Nuts
    Omega 3s
    Organic Is Best
    Organic Weed Management
    Pain Relief
    Pesticide Hazards
    Phytonutrients
    Plant Based
    Plant-based Menu Ides
    Planting For Fall
    Plant Power
    Prebiotics
    Probitics
    Protein
    Pumpkin Pie Lattes
    Recipes
    Rice
    School Lunches
    Skin Care
    Sleep Health
    Soaking Grains
    Spicy Ginger Nuts
    Stress Management
    Sunshine And Health
    Swiss Chard
    Vegan Recipies
    Vitamin D
    Warming Spices
    Weight Management
    Whole Foods
    Whole Foods Plant Based
    Whole Foods Plant-Based
    Whole Grains
    Why Going Organic Is So Important
    Winter Health
    Winter Nutrition
    Yoga
    Yoga For Sleep
    Yogurt

    Rebecca L. Thornton

    I wanted a venue to share my thoughts on what I have learned and lived  in life. 

Wild Seed Holistic Health respectfully acknowledges that we work, live & play in the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet), and Passamaquoddy Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1726. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.